Real Madrid complete signing of former Barcelona wonderkid

It is no secret that Real Madrid need to add to their options up front at this point of time. Other than Karim Benzema, they do not have a reliable striker. The Frenchman might have scored a wonderful brace late on against Espanyol, but for most of the game, he did appear to struggle. And that could turn out to be a recurring theme this season.

At the end of the day, while Benzema might be the best striker in the world, he is also 34 years of age. Thus, he needs rest from time to time and cannot play 90 minutes of football twice a week on a consistent basis. That is simply not sustainable, for any player, no matter how good they are.

Mariano Diaz is still with the club but he is nowhere near the first-team picture and even he could be on this way out before the summer transfer window deadline hits.

While Real Madrid are yet to add a striker to their senior team, they seem to have their eyes on the future and have added one to their Castilla squad in the form of Iker Bravo. The Spanish wonderkid has joined on a season-long loan from Bayer Leverkusen. The German club announced on their official website:

"The Spain U19 international Iker Bravo is joining Champions League winners and Super Cup winners Real Madrid from Bayer 04 Leverkusen with immediate effect. The Bundesliga club have agreed a 12-month loan with the Madrid club."

Real Madrid have signed former Barcelona wonderkid on loan from Bayer Leverkusen

Rumours in Spain have suggested that this is not a straightforward loan deal and instead Real Madrid have an option to buy included, set at a transfer fee around €6 million.

Bravo came through the ranks at La Masia but after failing to agree a contract with them, he ended up joining Bayer Leverkusen last summer. He is back in Spain just a year later but with Real Madrid.

Now, let’s see how things go for him at Castilla, but it does not feel like he will be involved in the first-team picture anytime soon.